OVERVIEW
Dead Space
By Shaun Hatton - November 11th, 2008
This weekend I picked up Dead Space from my friendly neighbourhood indie game shop, We Got Games. Though I’ve spent a good amount of time towards Fallout 3, I pried myself away from it to get a little closer with the science fiction/horror story set (where else?) in space.
I had been following the development press for Dead Space and when I found out that the team behind it culled their influences from hundreds of horror movies, it only made me more interested in the game. When firing up the game for the first time, you can really tell it wears its influences proudly. Most notable of the influences is the movie Alien, but secondary to this, there’s a definite Sunshine vibe going on – though that movie was more about psychological changes brought on by dead space than monsters (though yes, there is that out-of-place monster).
Dead Space is truly terrifying at times. Its visuals are impressive. But what really stands out for me is the high production value of the game’s sound, particularly the effects of the aliens and the muted sounds while walking through vacuum-shut corridors.
I don’t forsee myself finishing this game anytime soon, as it’s one I only want to play late at night for maximum effect. But I will probably end up writing a lot more about it some time in the future as it reminds me a lot of one of my favourite games ever, Resident Evil 4. For now, suffice to say if you like RE4, you will very likely love Dead Space.
